


Send a Thought to Me

by STARSdidathing



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Comfort, Comfort No Hurt, Developing Relationship, Feels, Fluff, Hugs, Light Angst, Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Gets a Hug, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, Pining, Possibly Unrequited Love, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Thought Projection, Unrequited Love, Unspecified Setting, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, accidental confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 01:37:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15984836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing
Summary: The first time Tony heard Loki's voice in his head, he thought he was just imagining it.





	Send a Thought to Me

**Author's Note:**

> So, an aspect of this story reminds me of something my friend HalcyonFrost is writing. I don't consider it "inspired by" since it was something unrelated that got me writing it and I only noticed the similarity after the fact.
> 
> Hers is a chaptered story and full of feels. I can't wait to see her start posting it! I'll link it in here when she gets the first chapter up :)
> 
> But, that aside, I hope you like this little feelsy thing! I see it as a set Post Thor 3 and after Thanos is squished, but in a universe that doesn't comply with ~~the trainwreck that was~~ Infinity War. This is a happier universe! But you can pick whatever setting you wish :)

_Why must you be so…_

The first time Tony heard the voice, he’d thought he was overtired or had let his mind wander during coding. He’d lifted his head, looked around the lab, but with no one around and the occupants of the tower surely asleep, he’d shrugged and gone back to work.

_How I could have let myself…_

The second time it happened was a few days later and this time Tony was making a coffee. He was very much awake, slightly confused and a little bit worried. He knew the voice and he could hear the frustration and unhappiness in Loki's tone.

He was tempted to say something and have FRIDAY tell the mage to stop thinking so loudly but, well, the first time Loki had ever projected his thoughts to the tower it was in the middle of a nightmare. He’d dragged Tony down for the ride and he’d been a wreck when Tony had woken up and tracked him down.

He’d been angry, violent and trembling. Tony had refused to leave and had instead sat down and kept Loki company. Loki hadn’t spoken much about the nightmare they’d both gone through, but he did apologize and explain that sometimes he projected thoughts, emotions and memories when stressed. He usually had better control but after the last few years he was worn thin and with more than a few holes in his mental wards. Tony could relate. He told Loki that it wasn't a problem and that he could always come and talk to Tony.

It was why Tony decided not to say anything about the slip; Loki was always embarrassed and frustrated whenever Tony was dragged into his nightmares, so if an errant thought was slipping through, Loki obviously had bigger things on his mind.

If it became more frequent, Tony would let him know.

_You are such a fool._

The third one happened almost a week later and Tony had forgotten all about Loki’s little mental slips. He had startled from where he’d been reading a document on his tablet. He'd looked up, preparing to complain about the insult only to find that the room was empty.

He quickly realized that Loki had done it again. He also realized that Loki had sounded so... _depressed_. It had made Tony’s heart ache with both sympathy and worry. He’d put down the tablet and had FRIDAY send Loki a message, asking if he wanted to watch a movie and tick off the next item on the ‘ _Imperative Earth Pop Culture_ ’ list Tony had made for the mage.

It took only a few minutes for Loki to teleport upstairs. He was smirking and drawling his words, teasing Tony and acting as if he’d never sounded so miserable only moments before.

Tony just gave him a smile and tried not to let his concern grow over what was upsetting the mage so much.

* * *

_I wish I could…_

The wistful longing in that thought made Tony go still. He was working on one of his cars, half of his body underneath the vehicle and with Loki sitting only a few feet away. He’d dragged the mage down to the lab requesting Loki keep him company, but mostly, he’d wanted to keep Loki occupied. 

They’d been talking for most of the time, but Tony had needed to put a tool in his mouth which had quickly shut him up. Loki was supposed to be browsing a website to suggest which classic car Tony should buy next. 

They’d been good-naturedly discussing some of Loki’s suggestions (both his honest and more ludicrous ones) before Tony had needed to use both hands. Tony had done his best over the last month to spend more time with Loki to try and keep the mage from his disheartened thoughts. This was the first time they’d slipped through in all that time. It was also the first time Loki had done it in his company.

_Do you have any idea how much I…_

It was another, his voice earnest and yearning, but it trailed off in the middle and Tony felt his own need form; desperation to know _what_ ended that sentence. What did Loki want? What made him such a fool? What did he wish for?

Tony wished he could jump that mental barrier; open up the door to Loki’s brain and find what was missing and _fix_ it. He wanted to solve the problem so that Loki’s smiles could be more genuine - so that Tony wouldn’t be constantly searching each expression for lingering sadness.

 _Anthony…_ Tony’s eyes widened over his own name floating through his mind in Loki’s voice. It was whispered softly and was followed by a wistful yearning, _if I could wake up next to you..._

The thought still trailed off, but this time, Tony didn’t need the rest to understand what was wrong. His hands had been inside the car but they fell down to his side in shock.

It suddenly made perfect sense. It made Tony pull out the roller from beneath the car. He looked up at Loki whose face was perfectly masked, nothing but a small amused smile as he saw the tool in Tony’s mouth. He then glanced away and started rattling off the details of his next suggested vehicle.

Tony took the tool from between his lips and placed it on the ground; he stood up and moved to stand in front of Loki. The mage was sitting in a chair so it left Tony slightly taller than him for once. Loki turned to him with a perplexed look.

“You’ve been projecting,” Tony whispered. He saw Loki’s eyes widen with panic, swiftly followed by sharp regret. Tony just brought his hands to Loki’s perfectly pale cheeks and cupped them. He bent down before Loki could say a word and let their lips brush in a soft, lingering kiss. “You can wake up next to me any day,” Tony continued when he pulled back, smiling at the mage and stroking his skin. “Just ask.”

Loki’s eyes closed and Tony felt the mage’s hands cup his hips with a hint of desperation. His usual confidence and disinterest washed away for a stunning and raw vulnerability. “And if I ask every day?”

It made Tony smile fondly as fresh excitement burst to life inside of him. He pressed his lips to the corner of Loki’s mouth and assured him, “I’ll keep saying yes.”

Loki’s breath left him in a quiet, relieved sigh. He tugged Tony even closer and shifted his face out of Tony’s hands, pressing it against Tony’s shirt. The material was covered in motor oil and, in all fairness, Loki now had some on his face too, but the mage didn’t seem to care, instead, he wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist in a hug that was too desperate to be possessive, too hopeful to be relaxed.

_He will grow tired, he will regret you, he will..._

The whisper passed from Loki’s mind to Tony’s and it had Tony using the hand not stained by oil to stroke through Loki’s hair and lightly tug on the strands, dragging the mage from his thoughts.

“Haven’t grown tired of you let, Lokes. Haven’t regretted you living here even once.” He tugged again in mild but fond chastisement. “It’s all in your head, Bambi. I like you too much to ever want to get rid of you.”

He felt Loki’s arms tighten their grip for a brief moment before slowly relaxing. Loki’s face was still buried in his shirt, but he seemed calmer. He also shifted just enough to be able to say, “I want to have a private dinner with you.”

Tony grinned and didn't even hesitate to reply; “Does tonight sound good?”

He could see the very corner of Loki’s small, delighted grin. “I will arrange it with FRIDAY.”

“Awh, I thought that was my line,” Tony teased, making Loki give a soft huff of laughter.

Yet, despite his good humour and relaxation, Loki didn’t make a single move to unwind or remove himself from Tony, and Tony had no wish to make Loki do it.

Tony just stood exactly where he was, playing with Loki’s hair and smiling softly at the fact that there wasn’t a single distressed projection escaping from his mage.

**Author's Note:**

> Is Loki a liiiiittle bit out of character and clingy? Shhh. I liked writing a soft, hugging, fluffy oneshot. MOVE ALONG IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT :P
> 
> p.s. I used 'Bambi' because I don't use it often and this could _almost_ be a prequel to my drabble about that nickname [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15777591).


End file.
